Scaring is Caring

October: the month of scares, Halloween planning, Breast Cancer awareness and research. These things come together for the people who work at Scare for a Cure. Scare for a Cure is a volunteer based haunted house in Mason, Texas. Everything, including supplies, time, and acting is donated. No one earns a penny. All of the money that Scare for a Cure raises is donated to local cancer charities. 

I had the opportunity this weekend to attend the Scare for a Cure’s main attraction Return to Zombie Wasteland, the sequel to their 2012 attraction Zombie Wasteland. Like every year, I was given two choices when buying my ticket, I could take the Green pass or the Red pass. The Green Pass follows the traditional haunted house rules. No one get’s touched and no one gets dirty. The Red Pass is a little more intense. The actors can touch people and everyone gets covered in blood and gore. 

The group I went with had the Red Pass. We had to run, climb, and at one point crawl. I had actors touch my face, inspect me for the disease, and attempt to take a blood sample. At no point was I in any real danger; I just got really dirty and really bloody. Everyone involved in Zombie Wasteland made sure that everyone who walked through was a character in the story. No two groups have the same experience and everyone is given choices that change how the story ends. 

My group was the last to go through the night I attended, which gave me the opportunity to talk to some of the actors who volunteered their time to work for Scare for a Cure. When I asked, around everyone loved talking about his or her experience “I’ve worked here since we started in 2006 and I plan on doing it for as long as I can.” said one woman.  

“It’s really fun to build the sets and  to create a world that is so intense and real.” Said a teenager. One man said, “I came because I believed in the cause. I stayed because of the family I made.” 

While talking to the actors about their experiences, someone mentioned The Quest. The Quest is an interactive Dungeons and Dragons attraction that Scare for a Cure does in the spring. Volunteers start building in February and the attraction opens in April. After The Quest, Scare for a Cure has a three month hiatus until August when they prepare for their Halloween attraction. 

After my personal experience, I can say that anyone who wants an immersive environment with a scary situation, Scare for a Cure is a great way to celebrate Halloween. It’s an experience of a lifetime. 

Me, after my adventure through Scare for a Cure's Return to Zombie Wasteland.
Photo provided by Julia Zuniga.

Julia Zuniga, Reporter/Blogger